Apparatus for inspecting magazine including stopper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9562816-B2
Application number	US-201414463742-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 20, 2014
Priority date	Aug 23, 2013
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

Provided is an apparatus for inspecting a magazine including a plurality of partially-finished products. The apparatus is configured to inspect a stopper of the magazine before providing the magazine to a packaging process, and further configured to classify the stopper into a normal product. The magazine comprising the stopper classified as the normal product is into the packaging process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for inspecting a magazine including a plurality of partially-finished products, the magazine comprising a stopper that locks or unlocks the partially-finished products, the apparatus comprising:
a position detector configured to detect a position of the stopper;
a pressure detector configured to detect a pressure that, when generated, applies a force to the stopper; and
a torque detector configured to detect a torque amount that, when generated, rotates the stopper,
wherein the apparatus further comprises a control unit configured to inspect whether the position, the pressure, and the torque amount satisfy a set of predefined conditions, respectively, and, in response, to classify the magazine as either normal or defective.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the position detector is configured to detect the stopper in at least one of a first position at a first state and a second position at a second state.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first state is a first unlocked state and the second state is a second unlocked state, wherein the first unlocked state is an unlocked state in which the stopper is located in a groove of the magazine before pressure and torque inspection operations are performed to determine whether the stopper normally operates based on the pressure and the torque amount, respectively, and wherein the second unlocked state is an unlocked state in which the stopper is located in the groove of the magazine after performing the pressure and torque inspection operations.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the torque detector comprises:
a load cell comprising at least one of a piezoelectric device and a strain gauge;
a first asymmetrical connection unit coupled to the stopper; and
a second asymmetrical connection unit coupled to the load cell,
wherein the first asymmetrical connection unit and the second asymmetrical connection unit engage each other.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the torque detector is configured to rotate the first asymmetrical connection unit and the stopper by rotating the second asymmetrical connection unit, and wherein the load cell measures a pressure when the stopper is not rotated, thereby measuring the torque amount.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a communication unit configured to fill in defective information on a tag device of the magazine classified as defective.

7. An apparatus for inspecting a magazine including a plurality of partially-finished products, the magazine comprising a stopper that locks or unlocks the partially-finished products, wherein the apparatus comprises:
a detection unit configured to inspect the stopper of the magazine before providing the magazine to a packaging process;
a classification unit configured to classify the magazine comprising the stopper into a normal product; and
a transfer unit configured to input only the magazine comprising the stopper classified as the normal product into the packaging process.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , comprising a first position detector configured to detect a first position of the stopper, the apparatus configured to classify the stopper into the normal product when the first position satisfies a predetermined condition.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first position detector comprises a laser sensor configured to detect the first position by emitting a laser at a top surface of the stopper and detecting a reflection amount of the laser.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , comprising a second position detector configured to detect a second position of the stopper, the apparatus configured to classify the stopper into the normal product when the second position satisfies a predetermined condition.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , comprising a pressure detector configured to detect a pressure generated by pushing the stopper, the apparatus configured to classify the stopper into the normal product when the pressure satisfies a certain condition.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the pressure detector comprises at least one of a piezoelectric device and a strain gauge.

13. The apparatus of claim 7 , comprising a torque detector configured to detect a torque amount generated by rotating the stopper, the apparatus configured to classify the stopper into the normal product when the torque amount satisfies a predetermined condition.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the torque detector is configured to measure the torque amount by measuring a pressure generated when a rotational force is applied to the stopper but the stopper does not rotate.

15. An apparatus for inspecting a magazine, comprising a stopper that locks or unlocks the partially-finished products in the magazine, the apparatus comprising:
a detection unit that detects information regarding whether the stopper is defective;
a communication unit that processes a signal that includes information on a type of defect occurring at the stopper;
a classification unit that classifies the magazine as either normal or defective according to the information of the signal; and
a control unit that determines whether the magazine is defective by receiving the signal from the detection unit.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the detection unit comprises at least one of a position detector configured to detect a position of the stopper, a pressure detector configured to detect a pressure that, when generated, applies a force to the stopper, and a torque detector configured to detect a torque amount that, when generated, rotates the stopper.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the apparatus inspects the stopper of the magazine before providing the magazine to a packaging process, and inputs the magazine classified as normal into the packaging process.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the position detector is configured to detect the stopper in at least one of a first position at a first unlocked state and a second position at a second unlocked state, wherein the first unlocked state is an unlocked state in which the stopper is located in a groove of the magazine before pressure and torque inspection operations are performed to determine whether the stopper normally operates based on the pressure and the torque amount, respectively, and wherein the second unlocked state is an unlocked state in which the stopper is located in the groove of the magazine after performing the pressure and torque inspection operations.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising a first transfer unit, a second transfer unit, and a third transfer unit, and wherein the classification unit transfers the magazine from the first transfer unit to the second transfer unit in response to the magazine classified as normal, and wherein the classification unit transfers the magazine from the first transfer unit to the third transfer unit in response to the magazine classified as defective.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ji Chang-Hwan
• Choi Jung-Hun
• Lee Sung-Yeol
• Yang Hee-Sang
• Lee Jae-Nam

Classifications

• H10P72/0616

  Monitoring of warpages, curvatures, damages, defects or the like · CPC title

• H10P72/0611

  Sorting devices · CPC title

• H10P74/00 Primary

  Testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment of wafers, substrates or devices · CPC title

• H01L21/67288

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05K7/1408

  by a unique member which latches several boards, e.g. locking bars · CPC title